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[RevTibe]

Do you people who hate windblade also hate Drift? While there is certainly important differences between the two, I think there's a lot connecting them.

Hmm, interesting. It's tough for me to offer an in-depth opinion, since I've only read snippets and summaries of All Hail Megatron and earlier, but in the few cases I've seen people mention pre-MTMTE Drift and Windblade, Windblade's been positive and pre-MTMTE Drift's been negative. Not sure if he really added to the setting in the manner Windblade does, but I'm not going to write a mini-essay on something I haven't really read.

(Movie and RID'15 Drifts are pretty dull, though, amounting to "He's a samurai!". Of course, RID'15 Windblade isn't great either. ...I do love Bludgeon, though.)

[Va'al]

I think a big test for windblade will be in the machima cartoon.

Fingers crossed there; I'm honestly not sure what to expect of that series in general, nevermind specific characters.

I don't like the design, I don't like how over exposed she is, I don't like how Optimus and other cybertronians look to, want and ask for her opinion, advice and essentially to lead. It devalues other cybertronians. Again she has way too much to, titan speaker, trying to over throw starscream and be a branch to other worlds while having a poor attitude. I hate the character.

I've gotta agree on some design aspects being disappointing - although human tropes and archetypes underline almost every Transformer, I dislike it when those references become incredibly specific, like Windblade's kabuki-styled head (I suppose the pseudo-beatnik Jazz would be my upper limit for human-culture-specificity). Her fiction has warmed me up to the facepaint, but if I had the opportunity to redesign the character I'd likely tweak the hair and headdress.

I suppose we have different personal definitions in terms of character overexposure - for me, a reasonably justified newbie can be a very welcome addition, even if they take a significant portion of the spotlight. The Cityspeaker angle tying into the longstanding Titans plot threads and acting as a liaison to her homeland seemed like strong justification, believably tying this new character to preexisting plot points.

I think the dislike, or perception of overexposure, is also due to the fact that this is an entirely new character brought into the fiction. It doesn't rely on any previous hook, be it in name, design, fiction or what have you. [Same was with Drift, as the comment above mine bring into the discussion - it was felt that this was a brand new thing that everyone should love because reasons. And now many people do (as many did at the time too), for good reasons.]

Because, really, if you look at vol 2, Windblade is far from being the main character. Even her introduction is alongside two other Camiens. In the Victorion arc/Combiner Hunters, Arcee is more centre stage than her.

(I also have a suspicion based on recent studies on men vs women in larger groups and the perception of their input, but I'll leave that for another day.)

Prowl4 - I am a little confused as to why you don't think Cybertronians might want some external opinion on their affairs, given how poorly they've conducted them for millions of years (i.e. war). Surely a fresh pair of eyes might do some good, or at least something different? She's a diplomat, after all - it's only natural that her character is used to mediate between others.

Also, what do you mean by poor attitude?

---

The one thing I do have an issue with, is the cross-fiction. IDW Windblade is not the same (clearly) as RID Windblade, and we shouldn't conflate the two. Similarly, I feel we should avoid relying on the Machinima series to 'consolidate' her place in IDW fiction. Have any other characters had that?

[Prowl4]

I think a big test for windblade will be in the machima cartoon.

Fingers crossed there; I'm honestly not sure what to expect of that series in general, nevermind specific characters.

I don't like the design, I don't like how over exposed she is, I don't like how Optimus and other cybertronians look to, want and ask for her opinion, advice and essentially to lead. It devalues other cybertronians. Again she has way too much to, titan speaker, trying to over throw starscream and be a branch to other worlds while having a poor attitude. I hate the character.

I've gotta agree on some design aspects being disappointing - although human tropes and archetypes underline almost every Transformer, I dislike it when those references become incredibly specific, like Windblade's kabuki-styled head (I suppose the pseudo-beatnik Jazz would be my upper limit for human-culture-specificity). Her fiction has warmed me up to the facepaint, but if I had the opportunity to redesign the character I'd likely tweak the hair and headdress.

I suppose we have different personal definitions in terms of character overexposure - for me, a reasonably justified newbie can be a very welcome addition, even if they take a significant portion of the spotlight. The Cityspeaker angle tying into the longstanding Titans plot threads and acting as a liaison to her homeland seemed like strong justification, believably tying this new character to preexisting plot points.

I think the dislike, or perception of overexposure, is also due to the fact that this is an entirely new character brought into the fiction. It doesn't rely on any previous hook, be it in name, design, fiction or what have you. [Same was with Drift, as the comment above mine bring into the discussion - it was felt that this was a brand new thing that everyone should love because reasons. And now many people do (as many did at the time too), for good reasons.]

Because, really, if you look at vol 2, Windblade is far from being the main character. Even her introduction is alongside two other Camiens. In the Victorion arc/Combiner Hunters, Arcee is more centre stage than her.

(I also have a suspicion based on recent studies on men vs women in larger groups and the perception of their input, but I'll leave that for another day.)

Prowl4 - I am a little confused as to why you don't think Cybertronians might want some external opinion on their affairs, given how poorly they've conducted them for millions of years (i.e. war). Surely a fresh pair of eyes might do some good, or at least something different? She's a diplomat, after all - it's only natural that her character is used to mediate between others.

Also, what do you mean by poor attitude?

---

The one thing I do have an issue with, is the cross-fiction. IDW Windblade is not the same (clearly) as RID Windblade, and we shouldn't conflate the two. Similarly, I feel we should avoid relying on the Machinima series to 'consolidate' her place in IDW fiction. Have any other characters had that?

I loved Drift from the get go, he ticked all the boxes of things I liked and as he has grown as a character not only in the comics but also through the rid tv series and movie I feel a great link and connection to him.

I understand fresh eyes, that's what this perceived council of worlds is for, however windblade goes around gassing out of her scolding both Prime and Starscream. She needs to be told some home truths and told to sit herself down. I don't find it believable that not only Prime who hasn't been one to doubt himself is so insecure that he looks to this terrible character for guidance. Similarly I can't believe a character as narcissistic as Starscream could give a hoot about whatever she has said and done. A part of my disdain for the character, albeit I understand she's new, is that Starscream hasn't arranged to have her killed or moved off world.

I don't think Prime and certainly not Starscream should be listening to or putting up with her input.

Her attitude is terrible, she's a know it all yet does little to actually help and when the place is a mess she's just like "eh told you so". She was horrific in RID which did not warm me to the character at all, I liked bisk more than her. That's saying something.

[ZeroWolf]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

[Prowl4]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

Not doing much of that lately is she? She's had her usefulness to him, he was anointed chosen, after that it was time to dump her. Starscream needs to get rid of her but alas IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

[RevTibe]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

Not doing much of that lately is she? She's had her usefulness to him, he was anointed chosen, after that it was time to dump her. Starscream needs to get rid of her but alas IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

[Prowl4]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

Not doing much of that lately is she? She's had her usefulness to him, he was anointed chosen, after that it was time to dump her. Starscream needs to get rid of her but alas IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

Any of them in comas, long term injuries or deaths by any chance? No

[RevTibe]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

Not doing much of that lately is she? She's had her usefulness to him, he was anointed chosen, after that it was time to dump her. Starscream needs to get rid of her but alas IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

Any of them in comas, long term injuries or deaths by any chance? No

Doesn't change the fact your claim that IDW doesn't injure female TFs is hilariously offbase. (And yes, central TF characters die very infrequently, so when there are only a handful of female TFs, most of whom have only been in the spotlight for about a year or two, you're going to see less deaths among them than a much larger group of male TFs who have been around for almost a decade.)

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Apart from Arcee, who is definitely a super power and rightfully so, the other gals have only been around at bare minimum 2 years in the run and are far less established. I think people would be angrier if one or two of them were killed off quickly. Plus, they usually aren't a part of the war. They all came up (again, exception Arcee) after the war, and they usually avoid skirmishes, and in the skirmishes they have been in, they fared as well as the rest basically.

Also, there are only 2 fembots on the Lost light, and one is a doctor and the other an engineer, so they tend not to get into life threatening situations. And as for the other 3 big ones, they have received a fair share of beating for what they have been present for. In the time they have been there, the lost light lost Trailcutter and that's it basically, and Nautica wasn't around. And as for this storyline, No one has died in the story since. and the reason Sideswipe was comatose is because he was blown up but still conscience, so naturally, Brawl had to go further.

I think you're taking this a bit too literal.

[ZeroWolf]

Why would starscream get rid of the one person who can talk to metroplex? IDW prime has doubted himself a lot in his history, like in the one shot that led to the start of the two ongoings "death of optimus prime" as for starscream, it wouldn't look very good for him to not listen to one of the founding council members and his frenemy.

Not doing much of that lately is she? She's had her usefulness to him, he was anointed chosen, after that it was time to dump her. Starscream needs to get rid of her but alas IDW won't injure let alone kill fembots.

He was the chosen one before he met windblade remember? That happened before Dark Cybertron.

Also I'm sensing a very humiliating twist in the chosen one status he has

[partholon]

Do you people who hate windblade also hate Drift? While there is certainly important differences between the two, I think there's a lot connecting them.

i think you can put good money on most people that hate windblade also hate drift.

for myself its even worse.

im completly nonplussed about the character. she screams "editorial" to me. wheter IDW or HASBRO i dont know but its not fan love causing this high profile IMO. hence why were now on book THREE to sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her and i dont give much hope for the book to last past issue 12 TBH.

It just feels so forced ,just like the drift books, and with SOOOOOO many characters out there denied coverage by dint of the sheer number of TF characters ya cant help but undertand why some people are annoyed. its not a million miles away from what marvel and DC used to do back in the 90s to sell more books that didnt really have an inbuilt fanbase large enough to support it.

the only WINDBLADE books ive bought are the ones ive been forceded to i.e the crossover combiner war stuff and the oneshots and i say this as a reader that LIKES world building and politics . this book should be right up my street.

so why isnt it?

cause i'd rather PROWL was playing the role windblade is against starscream. watching someone like him forced to deal with screamers leadership is infinetly more interesting than some blowin character ive no connection to.

ive flicked through the book, and ive liked some of scotts Sci Fi ideas (like the planet where cities have to move to escape the dawning sun) but IMO bad art, and i dont like the current artist, combined with characters that dont draw me in equal no sale on the comic front from me.

i MIGHT buy the trade/s, but if they do what they did with combiner wars with it again thatll make it a waste of time as im fecked if im buying things twice because of crossovers.

[RevTibe]

im completly nonplussed about the character. she screams "editorial" to me. wheter IDW or HASBRO i dont know but its not fan love causing this high profile IMO. hence why were now on book THREE to sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her and i dont give much hope for the book to last past issue 12 TBH.

What evidence do you have in mind? The Windblade books seem to fluctuate between 90-70% of the MTMTE/ex-RID sales (i.e., Windblade selling 8k when ex-RID sells 10k), with one or two Windblade issues outselling the main pair. (Getting my data from Comichron.)

I'm not a comic sales expert, but that seems pretty good for a pair of miniseries, considering it doesn't benefit from preexisting buyers/subscribers as much as the main pair.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'm not saying sales = quality (I'd argue that Vol. 1 was great even if it only sold to a dozen people), but sales data is certainly a useful talking point in this context.

[ZeroWolf]

Do you people who hate windblade also hate Drift? While there is certainly important differences between the two, I think there's a lot connecting them.

i think you can put good money on most people that hate windblade also hate drift.

for myself its even worse.

im completly nonplussed about the character. she screams "editorial" to me. wheter IDW or HASBRO i dont know but its not fan love causing this high profile IMO. hence why were now on book THREE to sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her and i dont give much hope for the book to last past issue 12 TBH.

It just feels so forced ,just like the drift books, and with SOOOOOO many characters out there denied coverage by dint of the sheer number of TF characters ya cant help but undertand why some people are annoyed. its not a million miles away from what marvel and DC used to do back in the 90s to sell more books that didnt really have an inbuilt fanbase large enough to support it.

the only WINDBLADE books ive bought are the ones ive been forceded to i.e the crossover combiner war stuff and the oneshots and i say this as a reader that LIKES world building and politics . this book should be right up my street.

so why isnt it?

cause i'd rather PROWL was playing the role windblade is against starscream. watching someone like him forced to deal with screamers leadership is infinetly more interesting than some blowin character ive no connection to.

ive flicked through the book, and ive liked some of scotts Sci Fi ideas (like the planet where cities have to move to escape the dawning sun) but IMO bad art, and i dont like the current artist, combined with characters that dont draw me in equal no sale on the comic front from me.

i MIGHT buy the trade/s, but if they do what they did with combiner wars with it again thatll make it a waste of time as im fecked if im buying things twice because of crossovers.

Thing is, it would be prowl who would be in control of starscream, and if he so wished he could probably quite easily destroy screams reign.

Thinking about it, a lot of times I'd prefer prowl to be an antagonist then on the good side. Any time they try to make him more heroic, it just seems forced. He's a fascist, run with it, let him try and raise a new faction, one that fights in the shadows to start with, changing the rules everyone plays to before they reveal their hands.

[partholon]

im completly nonplussed about the character. she screams "editorial" to me. wheter IDW or HASBRO i dont know but its not fan love causing this high profile IMO. hence why were now on book THREE to sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her and i dont give much hope for the book to last past issue 12 TBH.

What evidence do you have in mind? The Windblade books seem to fluctuate between 90-70% of the MTMTE/ex-RID sales (i.e., Windblade selling 8k when ex-RID sells 10k), with one or two Windblade issues outselling the main pair. (Getting my data from Comichron.)

I'm not a comic sales expert, but that seems pretty good for a pair of miniseries, considering it doesn't benefit from preexisting buyers/subscribers as much as the main pair.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'm not saying sales = quality (I'd argue that Vol. 1 was great even if it only sold to a dozen people), but sales data is certainly a useful talking point in this context.

ya just answered your own question.

sales indeed are NOT an indication of quality. ive bought lots of books over the years that no one followed but they were all immensely enjoyable, but end of the day sales dictate what happens to an ongoing.

look at "gi joe Vs transformers" .

a FAR more marketable book than windblade and one that garnered massive critical acclaim. its gone at issue 12. IDW is a company and if its not making the cash thats it. james and john recently said in their comments on RID/MTMTE hitting 50 that the plans were there to tie them up at issue 12 should the numbers not add up.

its cold and calculating but thats business, hell furman got kicked off the "-ation" books because his run dropped below 16k issues a month and IMO they were some of the BEST TF books he ever did !

so 8k for windblade aint gonna cut it. this is the THIRD time theyve launched a book for her and this time it doesnt even have her name in the title so it doesnt bode well IMO.

I wont be collecting it so its no skin off my nose and if it lasts for the fans that like it ill be happy. but ive seen the same thing before with stuff like alpha flight and various captain marvel/firestorm books. with the last series, which was meant to be an ongoing , effectively being canceled at issue 7 the chances of windblade/till all are one hitting 50 are slim.

like i said Editorial seems to be pushing this character not the general TF fanbase, whom IMO would much rather have a grimlock/impactor ongoing than a windblade one.

i think thats the source of alot of hate for her. personally in and of herself ive no prob with windblade, i dont think she can carry a book, but as a backround cast member ive not a problem. its just she's got SOOO many opertunties now while genuine fan favourites are languishing in obscurity.

i mean its mad weve never had a propper dinobots mini series (maximum just tied up furmans dangling plots from the ation series), or a decepticon focused book. hell a wreckers ongoing (could be done easily even now as a flashback book so as not to bugger up continuity) is just screaming to be made.

If IDW thew idea's like that out you would have people going "yeah that'd be great!". IMO ya just dont get the same reation from "hey heres ANOTHER windblade book". its all about the set up i suppose. i reckon fans would go berzerk at the prospect of a DJD comic. despite the fact just like windblade they didnt exist a few years ago (and indeed are entirely new character with no toys ). but thanks to james's work it feels "merrited". i think alot of the haters for windblade dont think she's earned the book as she pretty much came out of nowhere on the comics front.

[RevTibe]

ya just answered your own question.

sales indeed are NOT an indication of quality. ive bought lots of books over the years that no one followed but they were all immensely enjoyable, but end of the day sales dictate what happens to an ongoing.

I was responding to your claim that;

sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her

While sales data is not necessarily an indicator of quality, it's a fitting response to someone trying to argue that the "public ... doesn't want her" based on an incorrect assumption about the series' sales data.

On other points; GI vs. is great, and yeah, the comics industry can be cutthroat. On the note of an editorial push; what's more logical - that IDW sees Windblade as the financially ideal angle to try and establish a third ongoing in this setting, or that there's some secret plan to push Windblade even if she makes less money? Like you said - it's a cutthroat, profit-focused industry.

You mention "genuine fan favourites" - what's the qualification? I see plenty of people naming Windblade as one of their favourites - does that not count? Just feels like this is going to be a "no true scotsman"-type scenario. Also, check out Punishment and Redemption, two recent IDW mini-series focused on the Dinobots.

[ZeroWolf]

I don't think an impactor book would sell as well as your seem to think it would as that's someone only fans of the tf comics care about while windblade has had more attention due to her appearing in the rid series and her being the focus of the machima series. I'd also be surprised if she didn't follow drift and end up in the live action movies at one point.

Also I seem to recall that the winner of the fan poll was going to get a push no matter what they were.

As for a decepticon book it would depend on execution I think.

[partholon]

sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her

While sales data is not necessarily an indicator of quality, it's a fitting response to someone trying to argue that the "public ... doesn't want her" based on an incorrect assumption about the series' sales data.

whats incorrect about it?

her book was cancelled mid story arc due to lack of sales. IDW havent done that since the "-ation" days. if it was preforming they'd still be printing it.

On other points; GI vs. is great, and yeah, the comics industry can be cutthroat. On the note of an editorial push; what's more logical - that IDW sees Windblade as the financially ideal angle to try and establish a third ongoing in this setting, or that there's some secret plan to push Windblade even if she makes less money? Like you said - it's a cutthroat, profit-focused industry.

theres nothing secret about hasbro interference at IDW and it extends beyond pushing windblade. its THEIR property so they call the shots. windblade won the poll so she gets the push across the media. if anything we should be happy barber and co are putting such effort into it. when it fails again they can at least say they tried.

You mention "genuine fan favourites" - what's the qualification? I see plenty of people naming Windblade as one of their favourites - does that not count? Just feels like this is going to be a "no true scotsman"-type scenario. Also, check out Punishment and Redemption, two recent IDW mini-series focused on the Dinobots.

"fan favorite" is a self explanatory term. at least in how it applies to comics. wolverine is a classic example. he was NEVER meant to have his own book. but being a fan favorite pressure got so high from them that marvel relented and gave him his own mini , which resulted in an ongoing, and him eventually becoming the touchstone character of the xmen. it seems mad now but they actually never saw that coming at the time.

can ANYONE say - in terms of fan outcry- that windblade is our version of wolverine ?

her appearance in the books amounts to what, 2 or 3 issues of dark cybertron before she gets the mini treatment. her push is purely corporate driven on the basis of the fan poll that created her, and thats a perfectly acceptable way to sell a product from a business point of view. but she's not a fan farourite in the traditional sense of the term as it would apply to characters like soundwave.

there are people that dont even LIKE transformers that know him.

windblade is more a result of fan/corporate co-operation. Now with Two minis under her belt she can kinda lay claim to that title from those that followed her book and love her, but not when this all started and even now i doubt she's as popular with the comic community as someone like Tarn for instance .

thats what it comes down to in the end. she could be the best selling toy in the line, if the comic readers dont take to her any series will die on its arse.

and i bought both redemption and punishment. great books and an indication of what barber wanted to do but we never got after hasbro took more of an interest in where the books went and how they could use em like the old marvel days. he'd built up a really nice set up for gestalt development that got tossed aside for "the enigma of combination" route instead

[RevTibe]

sell her to the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her

While sales data is not necessarily an indicator of quality, it's a fitting response to someone trying to argue that the "public ... doesn't want her" based on an incorrect assumption about the series' sales data.

whats incorrect about it?

Your statement that "the public that all evidence on the sales front dont want her" (and underlying assumption re: sales data) is incorrect. Windblade V.1 sold 97% as well as the contemporary exRID/MTMTE issues, Windblade V.2 sold 87-88% as well (1% uncertainty due to muddled release dates). Looking at that data, and considering that a miniseries doesn't have the legacy benefits of a matured ongoing, it is clear that drawing the conclusion that "the public ... don't want her" is, at best, deeply flawed.

(Data used is drawn from N. American hardcopy data due to lack of digital. Safe to assume sales ratio is roughly similar, unsafe to assume that it is wildly different.)

her book was cancelled mid story arc due to lack of sales. IDW havent done that since the "-ation" days. if it was preforming they'd still be printing it.

Like you were saying, it's a cutthroat industry - being a close third isn't always good enough. Also, curious about info on "cancelled mid-arc" - is there a news release I missed? (serious question, I can't keep up with everything.) What I know is that it was originally solicited as an ongoing, then solicited as a mini-series. To me, that suggests the choice to compress Vol.2 then wait for Til' All Are One was made prior to Vol.2's release.

theres nothing secret about hasbro interference at IDW and it extends beyond pushing windblade. its THEIR property so they call the shots. windblade won the poll so she gets the push across the media. if anything we should be happy barber and co are putting such effort into it. when it fails again they can at least say they tried.

Yeah, the Hasbro push gave us the Windblade Vol.1 miniseries, which did well, but do you really think we would have gotten a Vol.2 if it had flopped?

Windblade's a cooperate-pushed creation that gained general fan appeal that merited more material. Hell, that's how the Transformers brand was born.

You mention "genuine fan favourites" - what's the qualification? I see plenty of people naming Windblade as one of their favourites - does that not count? Just feels like this is going to be a "no true scotsman"-type scenario. Also, check out Punishment and Redemption, two recent IDW mini-series focused on the Dinobots.

"fan favorite" is a self explanatory term. at least in how it applies to comics. wolverine is a classic example. he was NEVER meant to have his own book. but being a fan favorite pressure got so high from them that marvel relented and gave him his own mini , which resulted in an ongoing, and him eventually becoming the touchstone character of the xmen. it seems mad now but they actually never saw that coming at the time.

can ANYONE say - in terms of fan outcry- that windblade is our version of wolverine ?

Who in Transformers has Wolverine level appeal? Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Bumblebee? Because they're getting a lot of attention in IDW (well, apart from Deadbee, but he's got his own TV show). Not a lot of TFs command that level of appeal on account of the breadth of the fiction; not Soundwave, and certainly not a bit player like Impactor. Character nostalgia can be a factor, but you need truly ridiculous amounts of pressure for it to be the deciding factor - and that isn't present in the TF fandom.

[Va'al]

Courtesy of comics and entertainment site Newsarama, we have another first look at the upcoming IDW Transformers: Till All Are One series (coming in June), in an interview with writer Mairghread Scott and featuring unlettered preview pages by Sara Pitre Durocher (whatever the article might claim to the contrary). Check out some snippets, images below, and head here for the full piece!

Set on Cybertron and the political in-fighting between Starscream and Windblade to craft a new era for Transformers on Cybertron and beyond, the series has a broader scope than any Transformers series before. Picking up thematically from her last series, Transformers: Windblade, Scott and artist Alex Milne (nope --Va'al) are looking to delve deeper into the heart of being a Transformer.

Newsarama: "Till All Are One" is a very hallowed phrase in the Transformers mythos. What does it mean here for this new series?

Mairghread Scott: “Till All Are One” is a double-edged sword in our series. Our characters' main challenge right now is integration: Autobots and Decepticons, colonists and Cybertronians, various religious and political factions. These people know they need help to survive, but getting that help from former enemies is a hard pill to swallow. On the other hand, the threat of empire is always there. If Cybertron falls back under a totalitarian government and 'all' are forced to become 'one' it can be just as damaging. So everyone is working toward this single phrase, but in very different ways.

[...]

Nrama: How did this series come about? Is it something you pitched to do, or something IDW asked you to work on specifically?

Scott: We weren't sure when Windblade ended if we'd be able to do any more so we crammed as much plot in as we could. So when John Barber asked what I'd do with an ongoing, it took me a minute to figure out which of the many toys I'd grabbed I'd like to play with first. I'm glad I took the time to find it.

Till All Are One is going to explore and spotlight a variety of characters from across the spectrum of Transformers works, but in a single cohesive story. My goal isn't to hit everyone at once, but to bounce back and forth, to touch on the people that are rebuilding this world so that we're less of a classic 'team' book and more the story of a people and their struggles. Of course, some characters will always be at the heart of things, Windblade and Starscream in particular. But I've always been a character-focused writer and I want it to feel like Cybertron as a planet is changing and growing, not just a single character or a handful of them.

[RevTibe]

Heh, glad they're not trying to play up Swindle's survival as a shock - I was a bit surprised when I saw people consider the character to actually be dead.

Curious about the shot of Chromia removing her "helmet" - if there is a Chromia focus, we might see a resolution to Chromia's vol. 1 crimes, which could put rest to one of my vol. 2 gripes - if there's a line about "yada yada things were too unstable at the time to address it," I could kinda buy it. (My fanfic-y approach would've been for her to be tried in secret on Caminus and returned to duty on "probation" in vol. 2 with her Combiner Hunter deco marking her as criminal - Caminus is a resource poor world, not enough resources to easily replace a skilled worker or hold people in prison, so perhaps after a serious crime you get one probationary chance, then execution).

Seems like Ironhide's getting a bit of focus - always been interested in his recent IDW characterization.

While I do want King Starscream to last, it seems like his Badgeless shenanigans are catching up with him - perhaps with Swindle running around we'll see mention of him orchestrating Menasor's attack on Caminus. That would certainly shake things up, although it wouldn't necessarily unseat him - he's a good villain-politician, and that allows for a bit more nuance than the shoot-shoot-bang-bang a wartime Megatronalike villain provides.

We're seeing Knock Out and Prime Breakdown get pagetime together (outside of one vehicle mode panel in the Christmas special)!

Like the art, a good mixture of colourful/juicy and mechanical.

[Va'al]

Curious about the shot of Chromia removing her "helmet" - if there is a Chromia focus, we might see a resolution to Chromia's vol. 1 crimes, which could put rest to one of my vol. 2 gripes - if there's a line about "yada yada things were too unstable at the time to address it," I could kinda buy it. (My fanfic-y approach would've been for her to be tried in secret on Caminus and returned to duty on "probation" in vol. 2 with her Combiner Hunter deco marking her as criminal - Caminus is a resource poor world, not enough resources to easily replace a skilled worker or hold people in prison, so perhaps after a serious crime you get one probationary chance, then execution).

Yes, that is what I am also expecting/Hoping to see. I still have the feeling that the Chromia arc is nowhere near over, and only having six issues to deal with it, really, is not giving it the chance it deserves. If it's not addressed at all, then yeah.. it'll stand out a little sore.

(However, parallels with Civil War narrative of Bucky/Cap, now that I think about it... )

Seems like Ironhide's getting a bit of focus - always been interested in his recent IDW characterization

Now that is an interesting character to look at, after the whole 'Pax Cybertronia is no longer a thing' thing. Or is it? What is his role, now? He obviously has a lot to contribute, but everything has changed for him since AHM and his mini series. Where will he go from here?

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I look forward to more Ironhide. He's my sis's favorite, so I can't help but keep an eye on him

[RevTibe]

Yes, that is what I am also expecting/Hoping to see. I still have the feeling that the Chromia arc is nowhere near over, and only having six issues to deal with it, really, is not giving it the chance it deserves. If it's not addressed at all, then yeah.. it'll stand out a little sore.

True, a Chromia subplot would be too much for the already overstuffed vol. 2! I suppose the most I could've asked for would have been a "this isn't over!"-type line from Windblade somewhere.

I'd love to see Chromia's crime leveraged to talk about how Cybertronians value life - I'd imagine millions of years of warfare would leave many Cybes with a blasé reaction to three casualties from a bombing, while the more peaceful colonists would be horrified.

Now that is an interesting character to look at, after the whole 'Pax Cybertronia is no longer a thing' thing. Or is it? What is his role, now? He obviously has a lot to contribute, but everything has changed for him since AHM and his mini series. Where will he go from here?

Yeah, there's a lot of vague stuff surrounding the Pax and Gorlam Prime - a lot can be read into Jhiaxus's ramblings about Gorlam Prime and the Pax when LV-117 was being bashed about in time, but part of me hopes that those were purely in reference to Shockwave's Dark Cybertron plan - let's leave time travel in the past (heh). Then there was Combiner Wars' suggestion that the vision was instead sharing headspace with someone/thing else instead of a premonition. My guess is that TAAO will largely deal with Ironhide's character arc; the plotlines tied to his vision sound like a better fit for a post-All Hail Optimus ex-RID arc.

I am surprised/glad that he's been an interesting character despite being killed/revived/mindwiped previously - that's basically the same treatment Energon Demolishor got, which isn't a flattering similarity.

[Randomhero]

Really have hopes its good. I'm in no mood for every issue to have Windblade with an inner monologue of "I have to stop starscream"

Art is nice.

Hey Livio! This is what cybertron looks like! It has colors and light and depth and backgrounds! Take notes!

[Randomhero]

Yes, that is what I am also expecting/Hoping to see. I still have the feeling that the Chromia arc is nowhere near over, and only having six issues to deal with it, really, is not giving it the chance it deserves. If it's not addressed at all, then yeah.. it'll stand out a little sore.

True, a Chromia subplot would be too much for the already overstuffed vol. 2! I suppose the most I could've asked for would have been a "this isn't over!"-type line from Windblade somewhere.

I'd love to see Chromia's crime leveraged to talk about how Cybertronians value life - I'd imagine millions of years of warfare would leave many Cybes with a blasé reaction to three casualties from a bombing, while the more peaceful colonists would be horrified.

Now that is an interesting character to look at, after the whole 'Pax Cybertronia is no longer a thing' thing. Or is it? What is his role, now? He obviously has a lot to contribute, but everything has changed for him since AHM and his mini series. Where will he go from here?

Yeah, there's a lot of vague stuff surrounding the Pax and Gorlam Prime - a lot can be read into Jhiaxus's ramblings about Gorlam Prime and the Pax when LV-117 was being bashed about in time, but part of me hopes that those were purely in reference to Shockwave's Dark Cybertron plan - let's leave time travel in the past (heh). Then there was Combiner Wars' suggestion that the vision was instead sharing headspace with someone/thing else instead of a premonition. My guess is that TAAO will largely deal with Ironhide's character arc; the plotlines tied to his vision sound like a better fit for a post-All Hail Optimus ex-RID arc.

I am surprised/glad that he's been an interesting character despite being killed/revived/mindwiped previously - that's basically the same treatment Energon Demolishor got, which isn't a flattering similarity.

Here's my two cents about Jhiaxus Gorlam prime and Orion pax and LV-117:

That was all done before Dark Cybtron was planned. I think John had a very different plan in mind when he was doing the syndromica story and when he James and IDW decided to team up with hasbro for dark cybertron he had to change his plans for what he was doing. If you go back and re-read those issues it's very apparent had set of plans in mind then. In that time travel issue with Jhiaxus and Orion on LV-117 we see the planet being destroyed and the ground being sucked into the air. Jhiaxus tells Orion he does not know true chaos but will. Optimus also steals the time travel remote from Jhiaxus. I had hopes that remote would come back into play by the end of dark cybertron. A lot of what was said and done in issues 6 and 9 of RID were ignored and not brought back up by the end of dark cybertron.

We know dark cybertron was planned around August and September of 2012 from interviews by John and James and the syndromica story was written and drawn a good 6 months before that.

I think John had a very different story planned and had to change it and as much as I don't want unicorn I think he was originally coming.